London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Nick Clegg set himself on a collision course with David Cameron today by endorsing Lord Justice Leveson's proposals for press regulator backed by law.

The Deputy Prime Minister also bluntly dismissed Mr Cameron's call for a period of reflection on the controversial plans.

After insisting on making a separate statement to the Commons, the Liberal Democrat leader said: "We mustn't now prevaricate. I - like many people - am impatient for reform.

"And, bluntly, nothing I have seen so far in this debate suggests to me we will find a better solution than the one which has been proposed. Nor do I draw any hope from the repeated failure of pure self-regulation that we've seen over the last 60 years.

"We need to get on with this without delay. We owe it to the victims of these scandals, who have already waited too long for us to do the right thing. Too long for an independent press watchdog in which they can put their trust. I am determined we do not make them wait any more."

Mr Clegg disclosed that cross-party talks on Leveson would begin this afternoon, and said the timetable for bringing the matter before Parliament would be high on his agenda.

His intervention raises the real prospect of a chaotic Commons showdown on the issue, with Mr Cameron and the bulk of Tory MPs lining up against Labour, the Lib Dems, and dozens of other Conservatives.

With the Prime Minister beside him on the Government benches, Mr Clegg said his coalition partner had "perfectly legitimate misgivings".

But he added: "I just happen to not share them.

"A free press does not mean a press that is free to bully innocent people or free to abuse grieving families.

"What I want now is for us to strike a better balance between these two liberal principles so that our media can scrutinise the powers-that-be, but cannot destroy innocent lives."

Mr Clegg said he had "specific concerns about some specific recommendations" made by Lord Justice Leveson, but believed they could be overcome, and the statutory underpinning model was "proportionate and workable".

"For example, on data protection rules, and any changes to the way in which journalists can use personal information when reporting in the public interest," he said.

"And on the suggestion that it should be Ofcom who independently verifies the new press watchdog.

"Ofcom has a key role in regulating the content of broadcast media and I'm yet to be convinced that it is best placed to take on this new, light touch function with the print media too. Lord Justice Leveson has said this function could be fulfilled by a new body.

"However, on the basic model of a new self-regulatory body, established with a change to the law in principle, I believe this can be done in a proportionate and workable way."

He went on: "I understand the entirely legitimate reasons why some members of this House are wary of using legislation.

"I have thought long and hard about this. I'm a liberal, I don't make laws for the sake of it - and certainly not when it comes to the press...

"Lord Justice Leveson has considered these issues at length. He has found that changing the law is the only way to guarantee a system of self-regulation which seeks to cover all of the press. And he explains why the system of sticks and carrots he proposes has to be recognised in statute in order to be properly implemented by the courts.

"What is more, changing the law is the only way to give us all the assurance that the new regulator isn't just independent for a few months or years, but is independent for good.

"Someone will need to check, periodically, that the independence of the regulator hasn't been weakened over time. The report explains why that needs to be set out in law."